Mikey and the Ferocious Beast
Mikey and the Ferocious Beast is an American animated television series created by Alejandro Garcia for Disney Channel. It revolves around a small eccentric monster named Bunsen who begins attending a middle school that previously only admitted humans. In spite of prejudice against beasts, Bunsen befriends a human boy named Mikey Munroe and his home schooled companion, Darcy. Together, Bunsen and his friends attempt to navigate through school life while outsmarting a student named Amanda who wants to rid society of Bunsen's kind. The show is based on a drawing of a monster and a boy that Hawkins created in 1995. He originally considered writing a picture book featuring the characters, but decided against going forward with the idea until an executive from Disney saw the drawing and encouraged him to develop the concept into a television program. Prominent themes highlighted in the series include the positive aspects of social integration and the celebration of different cultures. Mikey and the Ferocious Beast was the highest-rated program on Disney Channel during its initial run. It was nominated for numerous accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Animated Programming in 2005 and 2007. A direct-to-video film, Mikey and the Ferocious Beast: The Movie, was released on February 6, 2007. Since its conclusion, Mikey and the Ferocious Beast has inspired a spin-off for Nickelodeon created by Butch Hartman, Bunsen is a Beast, which began airing in early 2017 but was cancelled in early 2018. The show attracted an audience of 31 million households, was broadcast in 120 countries, and proved to be popular among children, teenagers, and adults. Running for 6 years from March 7, 2003 to November 20, 2009, it remained the network's longest-running series until it was surpassed by Phineas and Ferb in April 2014. Reruns have aired on Disney Channel's sister channel Disney XD until June 1, 2014. Premise Bunsen Is a Beast centers around a blue monster named Bunsen, the first beast to attend Muckledunk Middle School. Mikey Munroe, his human friend, helps him navigate through school, as he feels the pressure to prove that monsters can coexist peacefully without eating and harming others. Episodes typically focus on Bunsen learning how to complete human tasks and discovering a human tradition. Mikey also learns more about the monster world, meeting new creatures whenever he visits Bunsen's home. However, a girl named Amanda Killman believes Bunsen is dangerous and wants to destroy him so that his kind will suffer from extinction. Bunsen and Mikey must outwit Amanda whenever she comes up with a new scheme, occasionally with the help of their friend, Darcy. Characters Main article: List of Mikey and the Ferocious Beast characters Main * Bunsen Monster (voiced by Jeremy Rowley) – A beast who becomes friends with Mikey and is the first beast to become a student in a human school. His body is a bit cyan, light blue, and white, with magenta-colored lips, arms, and legs. He is very often seen with a smile. He is very cute and fun-loving. He has two cousins named Charlene, a llama with extra legs, and Bob, an abominable snowman. * Mikey Munroe (voiced by Ben Giroux) – Bunsen's best human friend and guide, who helps him navigate through life in Muckledunk. He attends Flap's class along with Amanda and deals with the troubles that arise between them. He has orange hair. * Amanda Killman (voiced by Kari Wahlgren) – A self-proclaimed blossoming ingénue clad in a red, white, and blue schoolgirl uniform and Bunsen's nemesis. She is constantly scheming to get rid of Bunsen by trying to prove that beasts and humans can't coexist. She speaks with a lateral lisp and wears dental braces. Mikey, who stands in the way of this, has become her enemy, although she has a secret crush on him, as hinted in several episodes where she has made comments on him such as praising his tan and shorts. She likes boys in gym shorts, men in tanks and uniform, and her toys Princess Sassafrass and Queen Elizabear. She has a rich father who controls the school board, and can afford a water tower full of acne cream and bribes for townsfolk. She has a pet kitten named Doctor Revenge, who was given to her by Mikey and Bunsen. She has blonde hair. Recurring * Beverly (voiced by Kari Wahlgren) – Amanda Killman's #1 henchman/second in command and seems to be willing to do anything Amanda commands. She is a preschooler. She, at times, is sometimes smarter than Amanda, sensing danger ahead as Amanda mostly ignores her. * Darcy (voiced by Cristina Milizia) – A home-schooled and socially odd friend of Bunsen and Mikey, who occasionally tags along with them on their adventures. * Wolfie (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) – An anthropomorphic wolf who is also Bunsen's best beast friend and Mikey's second best friend. * Sophie Sanders (voiced by Kari Wahlgren) – A preening, flamboyant cool girl in Flap's class who speaks in a valley girl accent. Mikey has a crush on her, which might make her Amanda Killman's arch-rival for his affections. * Boskov * Berry The Bad * Mr. Munroe (voiced by Jeremy Rowley) – Mikey's dad. * Mrs. Munroe (voiced by Kari Wahlgren) – Mikey's mom. * Bunsen's Mom (voiced by Jennifer Hale) – An unnamed beast who is Bunsen's mother. * Bunsen's Dad (voiced by Jeff Bennett) – An unnamed beast who is Bunsen's father. Minor * Tooth Fairy (voiced by Tara Strong) – The jolly-happy fairy queen who gives money to children who have lost their teeth. * Big Mikey (voiced by Jeff Bennett) – A wild black bear Bunsen meets and names after Mikey. * Doctor Revenge – A kitten that Bunsen discovers and gives to Amanda Killman. * Jerk Von Handsome (voiced by Jeremy Rowley) – A Swedish foreign exchange student who used to be Amanda's crush. * Officer Steve Stevenson (voiced by Chris Hardwick) – A security guard at Muckledunk Museum. He first appeared in "Fright at the Museum" where Amanda tried to get him to bust Bunsen and Mikey, but failed when Steve saw that they not only didn't steal Uncle Funkle from his exhibit, but they put Aunt Rhoda back. He has braces like Amanda's. * Malory – A black student in Flap's class. * Commander Cone (voiced by Jerry Trainor) – A character who first appeared in "Bunsen Screams for Ice Cream" to help Amanda expel Bunsen from school by tempting him with his ice cream truck, but Mikey keeps Bunsen under control in the end. He reappears in "Astro-Nots", where Bunsen and Mikey see him in MASA and mistake him for a Mastronaut, so he gives them a tour, but accidentally launches them into space. In the end, Cone is no longer an ice cream vendor; he is a MASA Alien Space Defender. As noted several times, he pines for his ex-girlfriend Vanessa to return to him. ** Liz – Commander Cone's sister who did his laundry for him in her basement. * Vanessa – Commander Cone's ex-girlfriend. According to Cone, she broke up with him on his birthday, Christmas Eve, after he became an ice cream vendor. * Bog Beast (voiced by Ben Giroux) – A green swamp creature who first appeared in "Unhappy Campers", Amanda mentioning him to Mikey in an attempt to scare him to cure her boredom. In the end, Mikey overcomes his fear of the Bog Beast, and the real deal discovers Amanda in the bog with him, terrifying her. * Blog Beast – A beast who only terrifies people with his boring posts about what he had for lunch, which usually annoys Bunsen. * Miss Flap (voiced by Cheri Oteri) – Bunsen's teacher at Muckledunk Middle School. * Hugging Chair – Bunsen's chair who first appeared in "Hug It Out'ch", at first it trapped Amanda and wouldn't let her go, but in the end, Bunsen makes Amanda happy, and the chair releases her. * Willy Moore * Anti-Claus – A villain Amanda conspires with. * Amazing Eric (voiced by Jeremy Rowley) – A magician who attends Flap's class. Production Development The idea for Mikey and the Ferocious Beast originated in a drawing of a monster facing a boy that Hawkins drew in 1995. According to an article published in Variety, he kept the drawing in his office until a network executive noticed it and asked him to pitch the concept as a television show.1 The message that "no matter who you are, you can always find a place to fit in" inspired the show's underlying theme of embracing integration.8 When asked in an interview with Heidi MacDonald's Comics Beat if the show could be interpreted as a metaphor for "accepting and befriending refugees," Hawkins mentioned that the social commentary was "a little bit" intentional.8 Animation began about a year before the show premiered. Casting Jeremy Rowley, Ben Gerioux, and Kari Wahlgren were respectively cast as Bunsen, Mikey, and Amanda. Animation Hawkins, an advocate of hand-drawn animation, wanted to ensure Mikey and the Ferocious Beast was produced in a way similar to cartoons from the 1940s to 1970s. Broadcast Although Mikey and the Ferocious Beast was originally set to premiere on November 15, 2002, the pilot, "Bunsen is a Beast!," aired on March 7, 2003, as the first Disney Channel original animated series. Episodes Main article: List of Mikey and the Ferocious Beast episodes Reception, legacy, and achievements Ratings and run length achievements Mikey and the Ferocious Beast attracted an audience of 31 million households, was broadcast in 120 countries, and was popular among both children and adults.2636 According to Skylar Hawkins, the first season did "remarkably well" in ratings following its premiere, becoming one of the top-rated series on the network. It was Disney Channel's most popular show among boys ages 2–11.37 In 2005, it was reported that Mikey and the F was the number one rated show on Cartoon Network and was known to 79% of children aged 6–11.38 The series ran for nearly 11 years, making it the longest-running Cartoon Network original series, and at the time of its finale, the longest-running Canadian-produced animated series. Critical reception Mikey and the Ferocious Beast received generally positive reviews from critics. David Cornelius of DVD Talk considered the Eds to be child equivalents of The Three Stooges, believing that "the series revels in the sort of frantic, often gross humor kids love so much, and there's just enough oddball insanity at play to make adults giggle just as easily." Cornelius also wrote that the "animation is colorful and intentionally bizarre; bold lines forming the characters and backgrounds wiggle and morph in a delirious haze. This is animation that's, well, really animated."40 Despite this, not all reception of the show was positive. Terrence Briggs of Animation World Magazine considered every second of the show "filler" and lamented that the main characters are drawn as "products from the school of acid-trip caricature."41 After Briggs' review was published, a large number of letters supportive of the show were sent to the magazine, prompting it to "take a second look" at the show. Different reviewers then gave it a positive review, calling it a "fresh show with very different approaches."9 Accolades Film Main article: Mikey and the Ferocious Beast: The Movie A direct-to-video film adaption based on the series, titled Mikey and the Ferocious Beast: The Movie, was released on DVD on February 6, 2007. Merchandise The Mikey and the Ferocious Beast franchise has been modeled after fellow Disney Channel hit Lizzie McGuire, but for boys. MTFB ''has a clothing line, DVD releases, novels, bedroom sets, a ''Boy Talk board game, video games and more. In February 2005, Mikey and the Ferocious Beast toys were featured in the McDonald's Happy Meal. In April 2005, a doll based on Bunsen was released9 and another was released the following year. Disney Press has released several books based on the show. A calendar for the show, Mikey and the Ferocious Beast 2008 Calendar ''has been released. Merchandise based on the series are sold exclusively at Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, Sears, Macy's, and several other retailers. They include clothing (such as pajamas49 and tee shirts), bags (tote bags, backpacks, etc.), bedding collection, and toys. In December 2006, Disney and Hot Topic retail stores in the United States set up a boutique for a product line based on the series, with over 693 locations featuring products such as clothing, accessories and DVD releases by Walt Disney Home Entertainment. Home media The episodes from the series are now available for download from iTunes. The show was available on Netflix until May 2018.5758 All 7 seasons will be added to Disney+ when it launches in November 2019. Between 2004 and 2005, five Mikey and the Ferocious Beast DVDs and VHS cassettes were released by Walt Disney Home Entertainment. The DVD titles each contained six episodes while the VHS titles contained four episodes. Music releases ''Mikey and the Ferocious Beast has spawned two music albums, The Musical Time Machine and The Hip-Hop Experiment. Video games Category:TV Shows Category:EvanRocks Wiki